Eriobotrya japonica
Loquat
Common names: Japanese Medlar, Japanese Loquat, Woolly Medlar
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −10 °C
- Pruning
- Jun–Jul
- Harvest
- May–Jun
- Flowering
- Oct–Dec
- Spacing
- 300 cm, rows 300 cm
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: Illusive255 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The loquat, botanically Eriobotrya japonica, originates from China and, like apple and pear, belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae). It is an evergreen shrub or small tree with striking, leathery leaves up to 30 cm long, which are dark green and glossy on the upper side and rust-brown and hairy on the underside. The fragrant, cream-white flowers grow in upright panicles and open only in autumn and early winter. In late spring, yellow to orange fruits of 3 to 5 cm develop, with juicy, sweet-tart flesh and large brown seeds. The skin is peeled off, the seeds are removed, and the flesh is eaten raw or cooked into compote and jam. In Central Europe, the loquat only fruits after mild winters or in a frost-free winter quarter, since frost of just a few degrees below zero damages flowers and young fruit. As an ornamental plant with impressive foliage, it is still worthwhile in tubs on terraces and balconies or against a sheltered south-facing wall.
Care instructions
Place the loquat outdoors from mid-May (calendar week 20) in a sunny to partly shaded, wind-sheltered spot; outdoors, plant it only against a sheltered south-facing wall in the mildest locations. Water regularly and thoroughly in summer, as the large leaves transpire heavily, but do not let water stand in the pot. Move the tub indoors in autumn before night frosts reach the flowers. In a bright, cool winter quarter the flowers open; if you see no insects, help with pollination using a soft brush. If a panicle carries very many fruits, thin them out, as the remaining ones usually grow larger. Harvest in May or June only once the fruits are fully orange, since they do not ripen further after picking. Prune after harvest in June or July, never in autumn, otherwise the flower clusters will be lost.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
HarvestMay–Jun
FloweringOct–Dec
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, loamy, sandy
The loquat grows in humus-rich, loose and well-drained soil, which may be sandy to loamy. Slightly acidic to neutral soil is ideal, and it tolerates moderately chalky soil. Waterlogging makes the roots rot. In a container, mix container plant compost with sand or expanded clay, and make sure there are drainage holes and a gravel drainage layer.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Apr–Aug
In spring, give the loquat ripe compost or rotted manure and mulch the soil with leaves. In a container, feed every two weeks from spring to midsummer with a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants. Stop in late summer so that the shoots ripen before flowering, and give no feed in winter quarters.
Pruning
Prune the loquat after harvest in June or July, before the new shoots form the flower buds for autumn. Take out dead, crossing and overcrowded branches and shorten overlong shoots to healthy buds. Never prune in autumn or winter; otherwise you remove the flower clusters and lose next year's harvest.
Overwintering
Outdoors, mature plants in a sheltered position survive short frosts down to about minus 10 degrees, best with mulch over the roots and horticultural fleece over the crown, but leaves and flowers can be damaged. For a reliable harvest, a container in winter quarters is the better choice: bright, frost-free and cool at 5 to 10 degrees. There the loquat flowers in autumn and winter, and the fruits ripen by May or June. Water sparingly, but don't let the root ball dry out, because it is evergreen.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Grafting
Seeds from ripe fruits germinate readily if they are fresh: sow them as soon as possible about 2 cm deep in seed compost and keep them evenly moist and warm. The seedlings turn out variable and often bear fruit only after many years, and the fruits can be smaller than those of the mother plant. Varieties with larger, better fruits are grafted, which is usually done by nurseries. If you want reliable yields, buy a grafted plant.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Loquat yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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